Whisky Warrior
by GypsyJane
Summary: Danny is devastated to find the greatest betrayal has come from within. Can he and Duplessis heal their broken friendship? Or will he leave Leopard's Den for good? Spoilers for Series 6, particularly episode 6. My version of the Danny/Duplessis confrontation scene.


Hi, just a couple of very quick things before I leave you in peace. First of all I don't have the help and support of a beta reader. So I would like to apologise in advance for any mistakes spelling, grammatical or otherwise I may have missed. Secondly I don't own anything to do with Wild at Heart. I just play around with some of the characters now and again . Finally this story is centred on a scene towards the end of Episode 6 Series 6 when Danny confronts Dup about trying to take his name off the partnership contract for Leopard's Den. I always thought the confrontation scene should have been a little more angsty and Dup should not have got off the hook quite so easily. So this is my version. Hope you like it!

So thanks for reading and on with the show!

**Whisky Warrior**

A gentle breeze ruffled his greying, dishevelled hair. Closing his eyes he lifted his face to the soft caress, trying to bring calm to the storm that raged beneath. A thousand thoughts whirled, each clashing with the next. Vanessa, Mara, Lead Poisoning, Ziegler, Peters the list went on. The burden he carried weighed heavy, his shoulders sagging from the load.

Every conversation he'd been party to today had thrown up another obstacle to overcome. In the end overwhelmed with the seriousness of the problems he faced and with no viable solutions in sight stress and fatigue had started to show in his usually gentle, amiable demeanour. Then he'd taken that call…

That one phone call changed everything. Never had he expected betrayal to come from within. Family was the bind that kept him at Leopard's Den, family was his life. His belief that they could withstand any threat, climb any mountain as long as they stood firm together had been crushed, without it he felt empty and lost. In front of him stood Dup's answer to all of life's ills, his fingers snaked round the glass, the amber liquid within his only company. The burning pain as the liquor passed his lips the single indication he was still able to feel anything at all. He felt it blaze a path down his body, the ache dying away as it hit his stomach. The rough and ready local brew brought to mind a memory the beleaguered vet had long since forgotten.

On one of her many trips back to England Caroline had brought back a bottle of Scotland's finest Glen Livet, a present for Danny's forthcoming birthday. The day itself had been celebrated with a slap-up meal conjured up by Nomsa's talented hands. But hours later when all had gone to bed, he had cracked open the bottle and introduced Dup to one of his favourite tipples. Whilst the younger man had let but a few drops pass his lips and lay back to savour his first taste of home for many years, the out-spoken Afrikaner had emptied his glass in one fell swoop and proceeded to make his distaste vehemently known. Even as the older man replenished his drink with the local rocket fuel muttering something to himself about 'vile English pond water' the contented vet smiled to himself. The bushman's taste buds had been sullied so badly over the years with the local attempt at alcohol that he hadn't been able to appreciate the subtleties of one of the UK'S finest malt whiskies. But then appreciating the subtleties of anything wasn't one of Dup's strengths. The two of them had drank and talked into the early hours that night and despite the hangover he had been left with it still remained one of Danny's happier memories. Now as the unnatural silence and solitude of Leopard's Den washed over him he had to wonder how things had gone so wrong.

He had sat on the Veranda more times than he could count for everything from family meetings, to meal times to much needed alone time. But never had it been so quiet. Not a single animal could be seen from where he sat, almost as if sensing his mood they had chosen to stay away. Unusually the pens beside the hospital were also empty and the ambience it created was eerie. The house appeared devoid of any activity and for the first time in 6 years Danny felt his connection to Leopard's Den die a little.

Minutes had stretched in to hours when he finally heard the sounds of an approaching engine. He had tried to imagine in his mind how the conversation would go. But unable to even begin to understand why Dup would go the lengths he had he didn't get very far. As he listened to the car creeping closer he felt the heaviness that had settled in his stomach tighten and turn to knots. Unease swept over him, stronger than he could ever remember feeling before. He'd believed Leopard's Den was forever. Could this really be the end?

He watched the approaching vehicle come to a standstill and the solitary figure that emerged walked slowly towards him.

"Where the bloody hell is everybody? It's like a bloody morgue round here."

A part of him didn't want to do it, didn't want to upset the status quo. But he knew he couldn't let it go. The man he had trusted with his life had tried to pull Leopard's Den from under him, had been to a solicitor's and tried to erase Danny's name from the contract that legally bound them as joint owners. He had to demand an answer to the one question that had burned itself into his mind... Why? Not having the patience for small talk or the inclination to dance around the subject he jumped right in.

"I know Dup."

Blindsided by the brusqueness of the usually mild mannered vet the older man stumbled for an answer, "Know what?"

Now he'd started there was no way back.

"I know about your little visit to the solicitor's. I know you tried to get my name taken off our contract. I know you tried to break up our partnership. What I don't know, what I just can't figure out, is why. Why would you do this to me?"

Logically he knew Danny was right to be angry, right to be hurt and disappointed. But so was he and he was fed up of hiding it. So like a pressure valve letting off steam Dup erupted.

"Why? Because I was scared, scared you were going to sell up and go back to England. Things are changing Danny, you are changing. I used to be able to read you, know what you were thinking. But now, well now it's different. You and Alice are expecting a sprog, Ziegler's dodgy dealings has cost you the State Vets job and Peters is trying to kick us out of our home. What is there exactly to keep you here eh? I tried to ask you and Alice what you planned to do when the baby comes but you wouldn't talk to me, didn't have the time. Well I did what I had to Danny, I couldn't let you leave. Without you this place is nothing. Leopard's Den needs you Trevanion."

As all the anger he had bottled up ebbed away his last few words were no more than a whisper… "I need you."

The experienced vet couldn't believe what he was hearing. This man…his best friend… had cheated him, betrayed him, hurt him and had the audacity to blame him for it. The anger that had been simmering in his gut somewhere since he had first taken the call now threatened to boil over and Danny lost control.

"…and you thought cheating me out of Leopard's Den was the way to keep me here. Jesus Dup, that's some screwed up logic, why the hell would I stay somewhere I'm clearly not wanted?"

"N...not wanted?" Danny heard the bushman's weak voice and the question that barely left his lips. But anger was driving him now and he didn't have the strength to stop the tirade.

"Oh come off it Dup, you can't seriously be surprised. After the day I've had it wasn't exactly a shock to find the knife in my back. But it killed me to find it was your hand that put it there. You of all people; I thought our friendship was stronger than that. After everything you and I have been through; how could you think I'd leave? Sarah died here, she's buried here, my children grew up here; my life is here. Did you really think I'd be able to walk away from that so easily? You know how much I love Leopard's Den, how much Alice loves Leopard's Den. We wanted our child to belong to _this_ world, here…with the people we love. We wanted to be a family. Now it's all gone because of you and your damn schemes."

Desperate to repair the damage he'd caused the older man fought frantically to find the words to heal the rift that had opened up between the two friends.

"No Danny, it hasn't all gone. You're still here, I'm still here. We can make it work, we can. We've done it before. You and me, we're good together…." The words trailed off as the grizzled Bushman watched the younger man start to collapse in on himself and his heart broke.

The anger that had fuelled the young vet so far began to ebb away. The tightness across his back and arms loosened and it was all he could do to say on his feet. Suddenly he was tired, bone weary and overwhelmingly tired. The energy to fight had deserted him and unable to find it within himself to stay he turned to walk away, firing a parting shot over his shoulder to make his position clear.

"Good together? Yeah, I used to think we were. It turns out you don't trust me and I can't trust you. Without that there's nothing left. It's over."

_Over! _The word resounded in his head again and again. He felt nausea start to creep over him and his mouth dried instantly in the African heat. God! He needed a drink. No dammit, not the time. Leaving; He was…no they were really leaving and it was entirely his fault. His scheming and dreaming had back-fired once too often and now he was losing everyone he cared about. He had to try, one last time, he had to try. So covering the few steps between him and the retreating vet's back quickly he grabbed the younger man's arm and turned him round.

"Danny, I'm sorry. I really am. I was stupid; got the wrong end of the stick and acted on impulse. Acts now, doesn't think later. You know that's me. Always has been. But that's no excuse. I did a stupid thing. But Danny you have to believe me, you can trust me and I do trust you. I always have. So please, don't go. I don't know what I'd do without you all."

Deeply moved at the depth of emotion shown by a man that usually buried his feelings in the bottom of a whisky glass; the younger man spoke with searing honesty.

"You hurt me Dup. I never thought I'd be saying that about you. Nevertheless you did. So it's going to take time to get back to the way it was. But Leopard's Den is under threat and we have to be a team to fight it. So no more stupid, idiotic schemes; we work together, talk to each other, trust each other. Can you live with that?"

"Yes"

"Promise me Duplessis, no more stupid schemes."

"I Promise."

Unfortunately the talented vet didn't see the fingers crossed behind the mischievous Afrikaner's back. Now he thought to himself where can I find that snake Peters?


End file.
